Here's what you need to know:
Earlier this week, IAAF notified USA Track and Field that it had added a few more spots to the Olympic marathon. The reason for the additional spots has not yet been disclosed. CJ Albertson, who placed 84th, was in the slot for the Road to Paris Olympic qualification. USA Track and Field notified IAAF that it would reallocate a spot to Korir based on IAAF's slot reallocation rules. USA Track and Field will select the team at the marathon qualifier and use the placement in Orlando as the basis for team selection. Korir finished third and Albertson fifth. Korir qualified because he had run under 2:11:30 during the qualification period. This means that Albertson has earned the third Olympic spot and Korir has qualified for it.
“We're pleased that he will likely compete, pending final confirmation,” USATF distance running director Amy Begley told CITIUS MAG. “USATF has been fighting for him and it's a great team effort that includes the USATF High Performance Team, the International Team, the division, Max Siegel, Rene Washington, Willie Banks, David Katz and others.”
– World Athletics on Thursday confirmed Korir would be reassigned to the United States' No. 3 slot. The Road to Paris list is expected to reflect the change in early July.
– This will be Korir's second Olympic Games. He represented the United States in the 10,000 meters at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. In 2020, he placed fourth at the U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials, missing out on making the Tokyo team by just three seconds.
Last month, IAAF surprised Korir, his coach, and American running fans when it added 11 general entry slots to the Road to Paris qualifier list, removing Korir from the field of 80 potential Olympic marathon competitors. Korir, who fell short of the Paris qualifying time of 2 hours, 8 minutes, 10 seconds, had been hoping to qualify through the world rankings. Training partners Connor Mantz and Clayton Young, who placed first and second at the U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials on February 3, secured their spots on race day after running under 2 hours, 8 minutes, 10 seconds at the Chicago Marathon last fall, leaving two open spots for the U.S. in Paris. It wasn't until this week that Korir's Paris qualification status was revealed.
– After the trials, Korir headed to Rotterdam in April hoping to break the Olympic standard record, but he lost steam in the second half of the race, finishing in 2 hours 12 minutes 47 seconds.
Korir is training for Paris and will take part in team selection during the U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials in Eugene, Oregon, later this month.
